Laser Truck Inches Closer to Iraq Battlefield: Exclusive First Look

Looking up in Iraq is still a dangerous proposition. Mortar blasts continue to penetrate—with rare deadly force—the Green Zone and other protected areas because militias can find them, like rockets and other indirect-fire weapons, on the cheap, and fire them from shoot-and-hide platforms.

In an attempt to shore up its safe havens in the war zone, the Pentagon asked Boeing a year ago to develop a preliminary design for a system that could control a laser beam—but not just any laser beam. This one would come mounted on a truck that could defeat a persistent surprise threat from above. And this week the defense contractor delivered, bringing the Army one step closer to getting what can only be described as a laser truck—one capable of disabling incoming rounds.

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Now, the Army must decide whether to award a more full-fledged development contract to Boeing, or to its preliminary design competitor, Northrop Grumman, for an actual High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD). For many years, the Army has tried—and largely failed—to develop weapons that target threats before they can reach ground troops, such as the Trophy Active Protection System, which would fire a shotgunlike blast of projectiles at incoming rocket-propelled grenades and antitank missiles. The hope is that lasers will be able to do what metal cannot.

Lasers are slowly overcoming their reputation as poor weapons. Sure, they're great for directing airstrikes and finding the range of targets. But in recent years, Boeing and Northrop Grumman have emerged as key players in a growing military laser business, including the development of systems positioned near airfields or mounted on airplanes and—in another first look you saw right here—on Humvees. Some of the more high-profile programs include the Airborne Laser, which would disable missiles with a nose-mounted laser, and the Advanced Tactical Laser, an air-to-ground system mounted on a C-130 aircraft that Boeing says should be firing at ground level by the end of the year.

All of these bright-light programs face murky futures, and HEL TD is no exception. Even if the Pentagon immediately approves it for further development by one or both contractors, it could be years before a functioning laser truck reaches the battlefield.